Very cool! I'm going to print that today. Thank you!
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3D Printers and Printing
- Thread starter Greatscott
- Start date
Very cool! I'm going to print that today. Thank you!
After reading that I had to remove the shrink wrap, I decided to model up my own cover instead so that I could keep the shrink wrap. Thank you to Greatscott for the inspiration. I went one step farther and created a cap for the prongs because they are so susceptible to damage. I've always been worried about that, but never before took the time to do something about it.
Sniper4370
Quarry Creeper
Nice!After reading that I had to remove the shrink wrap, I decided to model up my own cover instead so that I could keep the shrink wrap. Thank you to Greatscott for the inspiration. I went one step farther and created a cap for the prongs because they are so susceptible to damage. I've always been worried about that, but never before took the time to do something about it.
Topher Builds
I wanna be Dave
So I’m thinking about getting into 3D printing this year and want to do some designing as well. My non-work computer is something like 8 years old now so I’m in the market for a new one. With that in mind, is there any benefit to running PC or Mac? I’d rather a PC but if Mac will make things easier I’ll consider it. Looking for benefits related to hardware, as well as software, if there is a preferred design suite that works on one or the other.
For engineering and mechanical design software, you want a Windows PC. Fusion360, SolidWorks, etc run natively on Windows.
Topher Builds
I wanna be Dave
Sweet, thanks. Will fusion360 and solidworks run okay with 8g of Ram or does jr get memory hungry?
Tossedman
RCC Addict
Fusion 360 runs natively on a Mac as well. No issues here. Solidworks is way too rich for me though.
8GB of RAM is bare minimum IMO. AutoDesk says 4GB is the minimum, but I'd be pulling my hair out working with that. You're also going to want to get a good graphics card.
Below are the bare minimum system requirements for Fusion360. I urge you to buy well above those specs or 3D modeling will be an exercise in frustration.
https://knowledge.autodesk.com/supp...tem-requirements-for-Autodesk-Fusion-360.html
I did not know that. That's interesting! Historically, engineering software forgot about Macs.
Topher Builds
I wanna be Dave
Thanks for pointing out the graphics card, will exclude any integrated graphics chip sets.
Any noticeable difference in intel vs AMD for 3D modeling?
Any noticeable difference in intel vs AMD for 3D modeling?
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No joke there.
I initially wanted to get SolidWorks because its what they use at work, I figured I'd have built in technical support... Then I looked at the price. The program itself is over $5k, and there is an annual maintenance fee of $1500.
Fusion, on the other hand, is free for us hobbyist. I am now designing some parts at work, and they have bought me a 3-year licence, which is around $1200.
Panther6834
I wanna be Dave
I've been custom building computers for people for over 25 years. Determining how much RAM a system needs is simple...but, at the same time, most people don't understand how to actually make that determination. First, understand the difference between "minimum" and "recommended". The best way of thinking about the "recommended" specs is if you were to be running ONLY that app. In that sense, you need to have the "recommended" amount of RAM for that app, plus the "recommended" amount for the OS. However, when buying a new computer, this is NOT how you determine how much RAM you need.
When buying a new computer, in order to figure out the absolute MINIMUM amount needed, start with the "minimum" requirements of the operating system. Next, add to that the "minimum" requirements of ALL applications you could be running at the same time. That doesn't mean add together the minimum RAM requirements of all apps you plan on installing...just the minimum requirements of all the apps you would ever be running at the same time.
Where people tend to 'goof' this up is that they forget about the apps running in the background, such as security suites, graphics drivers, printer drivers, etc. Truthfully, these don't add up to a huge amount...but, they do still add up. Unfortunately, these "minimum requirements" keep increasing, which is why the minimum amount of RAM is constantly increasing. It used to be that 1GB was the "minimum", and 2GB "recommended" (go back even further, and the amounts were even less). Just 10 years ago, the amounts were 3-4GB & 6-8GB. We've now reached a point in time where the absolute "minimum" is 8GB, and a more realistic minimum is 12GB.
My desktop, which is used for everything from email & YouTube, to gaming, video editing & Photoshop, has 32GB. If you're plan is to only use the computer for 3D printing (and maybe email), 8GB should be enough. However, if you expect to be using the computer for multiple purposes, I would highly recommend nothing less than 16GB.
~ More peace, love, laughter & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place [emoji1690]
When buying a new computer, in order to figure out the absolute MINIMUM amount needed, start with the "minimum" requirements of the operating system. Next, add to that the "minimum" requirements of ALL applications you could be running at the same time. That doesn't mean add together the minimum RAM requirements of all apps you plan on installing...just the minimum requirements of all the apps you would ever be running at the same time.
Where people tend to 'goof' this up is that they forget about the apps running in the background, such as security suites, graphics drivers, printer drivers, etc. Truthfully, these don't add up to a huge amount...but, they do still add up. Unfortunately, these "minimum requirements" keep increasing, which is why the minimum amount of RAM is constantly increasing. It used to be that 1GB was the "minimum", and 2GB "recommended" (go back even further, and the amounts were even less). Just 10 years ago, the amounts were 3-4GB & 6-8GB. We've now reached a point in time where the absolute "minimum" is 8GB, and a more realistic minimum is 12GB.
My desktop, which is used for everything from email & YouTube, to gaming, video editing & Photoshop, has 32GB. If you're plan is to only use the computer for 3D printing (and maybe email), 8GB should be enough. However, if you expect to be using the computer for multiple purposes, I would highly recommend nothing less than 16GB.
~ More peace, love, laughter & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place [emoji1690]
The base I would put in any system is 16gb. 32 for light vid editing and CAD work. If you are getting into the deeper end of the workloads, 64GB. Doing any virtual desktops on the host system, cram as much as you can into the system.
My desktop is a Ryzen 2700X, 64gb ram, GTX2060, all SSD storage. I run Inventor, and the Adobe Creative Cloud suite with no issues.
My desktop is a Ryzen 2700X, 64gb ram, GTX2060, all SSD storage. I run Inventor, and the Adobe Creative Cloud suite with no issues.
My new work PC, that runs SolidWorks, Outlook and various other programs concurrently and nonstop has 16GB and it's more than plenty. There are times when it will slow down with massive assemblies in SolidWorks, but that's rare and not something that is typical of 3D printing work. My home PC has the same amount of RAM and I never max out.
After reading that I had to remove the shrink wrap, I decided to model up my own cover instead so that I could keep the shrink wrap. Thank you to Greatscott for the inspiration. I went one step farther and created a cap for the prongs because they are so susceptible to damage. I've always been worried about that, but never before took the time to do something about it.
That's awesome!!!
I broke down and ordered a V3, and will modify my design to fit.
Topher Builds
I wanna be Dave
Thanks for the input gentlemen, it’s been so long since I’ve even looked at computers that I didn’t realize that most of the budget machines already come with 16g of ram.
Not sure when I’ll get around to making this purchase but I appreciate the help!
Not sure when I’ll get around to making this purchase but I appreciate the help!
My Pc has 4gb of RAM and whatever video card came on the motherboard. Fusion 360 does great. None of my projects are complex, but with my simplistic RC stuff, I'm not having any issues. Most of the time I have Fusion 360 and Cura open, along with an internet browser with 20 tabs open, and everything still works fine. I do have a solid state drive for my OS and programs though, so that may be a reason why I'm able to get by with less RAM.
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No problem. Plenty of smart guys on this site and lot of them have much more tech knowledge than me.
I check at SlickDeals or Woot when I want a new PC. There's always PC Part Picker too and that's always looking at best prices. With the impending crash of the economy I'd be shocked if we don't see some sales on pretty much everything.
Very valid point about the SSD. They are underrated performance boosters. I rarely use Fusion so all of my feedback was based on SolidWorks. Fusion360 may be more efficient and lighter on the resource usage than SolidWorks. I wouldn't be surprised if it is.
No idea how Fusion 360 compares to Solidworks, but I can say for sure that Fusion360 doesn't tax my PC anywhere near as much as my video editing software does. Trying to replay 1080p in my video editor, even at 1/4 resolution & 1/4 frame rate, kicks the crap out of my PC.
Fusion 360 is cloud based so your actual system specs play a very small role.
Sniper4370
Quarry Creeper
I need some help. I have a file I need basically cut in half horizontally. This will not only shorten the print time but, help use less support material on a per piece basis. I have yet to dig in and learn Fusion or Mesh Mixer. So, can someone help a brother out and cut this thing for me?
